Friday, February 22, 2008

If the doctors can't find a way to arrest Charles' sarcoidosis, it will kill him outright.

I spoke to his doctor tonight. Charles is being pumped with an intravenous steroid. He said he's never seen such an aggressive case. The doc is considering methotrexate, which depresses bone marrow production, where Charles is having problems anyway.

Charles needs his service number from the Army to finish his application for VA benefits. His current insurance does not pay for outpatient care and this upcoming therapy will be very expensive. How can I find his service number zippy-like, pronto, chop-chop and quickly?

He has done everything else, but became too sick to continue.

He was in the early waves of draftees in the 60's.

If I fill out and send in an SF180 it might take weeks.

UPDATE: Never mind. I did an evetsrec request after I got enough information out of him.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

The doctors in Jackson think the bro's wonky liver numbers are a result of the sarcoidosis, and have concluded the prednisone is not working. They are considering intravenous cyclophosphamide as the next therapy.

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Charles is on his way to a hospital in Jackson in an ambulance.

He woke up terribly weak today and asked to go to the hospital here. They transferred him up to Jackson because his liver indicators are a mess. No wonder, considering the fistful of pills he takes everyday.

He had to give up the dogs. They've come to live with a family in Vidalia with a big fenced back yard. They're in heaven.

Sprinkle catfish strips with blackened fish seasoning. Spread catfish with mayonnaise. Place in a shallow dish, cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

In a large skillet, heat 4 tablespoons butter until it begins to sizzle.Sear the fish strips until golden, turning once. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish, and arrange fish in a single layer.

In the same skillet, heat remaining 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Cook and stir mushrooms in butter until golden. Stir in parsley, green onions, and shrimp. Reduce heat to low, and cook until shrimp are pink and tender. Add Cajun seasonioning to taste. Stir in cream of shrimp soup, and blend well. Ladle soup mixture over fish in baking dish.

It kicked my brother to the curb again this week. He didn't need hospitalization, but he did need someone in attendance, to get his fluids down and some food into his system, and to tidy and clean and generally make life a little less miserable. He was in no shape to help himself, and he wound up in worse shape than he had to be because he didn't call on me to help sooner.

Your dominant hues are green and blue. You're smart and you know it, and want to use your power to help people and relate to others. Even though you tend to battle with yourself, you solve other people's conflicts well.

Your saturation level is very low - you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you're working.

Your outlook on life is very bright. You are sunny and optimistic about life and others find it very encouraging, but remember to tone it down if you sense irritation.

Friday, February 08, 2008

By choosing to cast his campaign as a "movement", Obama may be jeopardizing his ability to act as a "mere politician" if that turns out to be necessary. "Forget everything I said about Hillary Clinton being part of the problem, and go vote for her"? How many of those people shouting "YES WE CAN!" on cue are going to be ready to hear that message? When you've promised them a ticket to Paradise, how many people are willing to accept Sheboygan as an alternate destination? (My italics.)